Highly absorbent durable coaster

ABSTRACT

A coaster including a highly absorbent pad which is a unique material for coaster design. The pad&#39;s porosity directs the condensate away from the drinking vessel preventing fluid buildup on the drinking vessel. The pad is highly durable, does not easily stain and can last for an extended period of time. The removable pad has sufficient strength to accept customized embroidered designs while retaining its durability and absorbent capability. The embroidered designs act to further the effectiveness of the coaster by assisting in preventing surface tension from bonding the drinking vessel and the coaster body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

A vast majority of soft drinks, fruit juices, beer, wine coolers andother consumable beverages are sold in cans, bottles and other likecontainers which have been cooled either by refrigeration or immersionin ice cubes or ice water preparatory to being served. Containers cooledby immersion are, of course, wet upon being removed from the cooler andopened. And even if the container is carefully dried, condensation willrapidly form on it if there is any significant temperature differentialbetween the cooled container and the ambient air. Particularly if thesurrounding air is hot and humid, such condensation will form rapidlyand become quite heavy—heavy enough to run off the container onto thehands and clothing of the individual holding the container or onto atable or other piece of furniture on which the container may be placed.Particularly on fine furniture, a moist or dripping can or bottle cancause considerable damage through water stains, veneer separation,raised grain and discoloration of any table cloths or other coverings.

Traditional coasters, of course, have long been used to protectfurniture against the damage caused by moisture from cans, bottles andlike containers. Should a container be carried from place to place,however, as is often done, it is difficult to remember to carry acoaster along with the container or otherwise avoid putting thecontainer down on unprotected tables, desks and other articles offurniture. Some traditional coasters were successful in protectingfurniture and surfaces for short periods of time, however a buildup ofcondensate on the coaster surface acted, through surface tension, tobond to the drinking vessel. In these circumstances the coaster wouldoften drop while the drinking vessel was being picked up, creating alarger mess. In some traditional designs the coaster would allow waterto pool around the drink container and the water would drip on thefurniture surface or on the user.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

Some traditional coasters have attempted to deal with these issues bybeing manufactured of various absorbent materials. However they areeither disposable, not durable, or not sufficiently absorbent. Theresult is that traditional coasters either allow dripping when the userlifts the drinking vessel, adhere to the drinking vessel and then drop,become saturated in short time periods, are not sufficiently sturdy toprotect furniture or are not durable. Some coasters have effectivelydealt with some but not all of these deficiencies.

Some traditional designs have achieved high levels of absorbency andsturdy design. However these designs have complex mechanical designsincluding “support rods”, “drain openings” (Wilmoth U.S. Pat. No.4,858,873, Witt U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,872, Laybourne U.S. Pat. No.5,273,182) or sophisticated composite layered substrate designs(Scheurer U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,566). These complexities make themanufacturing of these coasters complex and results in a costly coasterfrom a consumer perspective.

Some traditional coaster designs have attempted to resolve these issuesand maintain a durable feature by incorporating an absorbent matmaterial that is easily removed from a durable base. However thesecoasters have either relied on geometry and fit or frictional force formaintaining the mat material in place (Woodruff U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,498,Blundell U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,869). These designs do not always ensurethat the fit or frictional force will overcome the surface tensionadhesion as the mat material becomes saturated. In addition, the matmaterials employed in these designs either are not durable, not veryabsorbent or can not be easily replaced by the user while maintainingthe existing base. In addition, fit or frictional force designs may bemore expensive because of the close manufacturing tolerances necessary.

Further, as beverage industries are highly competitive and dependent onconsumer recognition and selection at the point of purchase, there is asubstantial demand both by producers and retailers in those industriesfor coasters that are (1) absorbent to prevent dripping when the drinkis removed from the coaster, (2) durable allowing repeated use of thecoaster without replacement, (3) sturdy in design protecting theunderlying furniture, (4) simple construction allowing for ease ofmanufacture and cost competitive as compared to traditional coasters,(5) prevents condensation formation to collect on valuable furniture and(6) provide a user replaceable yet durable absorbent pad available in awide variety of colors, where the absorbent pad consists of a materialthat will readily accept adornment with letters, emblems, drawings etc.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Over the years, various suggestions have been proposed for solving theproblems and meeting the needs discussed above. As far as it is known,however prior to the present invention, no one has been successful indesigning, developing or producing a commercially viable coaster that ishighly absorbent, durable, will not adhere to drinking vessels duringreasonable periods of use, sturdy and capable of protecting surfacesunderneath, easily manufactured with a highly absorbent and durable padthat the allows for easy removal and replacement by the user. Theabsorbent pad readily accepts embroidered designs which act to provideattractive commercial or personal appeal and furthers the function ofthe coaster by preventing drinking vessel adherence. Other forms ofdesign may also be incorporated onto the absorbent pad.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The coaster body is a highly durable plastic design constructed forholding substantial weights, can be manufactured in different colors andwill maintain a precise vertical alignment with the surface upon whichthe coaster is located. The seating surface is fitted with an absorbentpad through the use of an adhesive layer integral to the absorbent pad.

The adhesive layer is a double sided permanent/removable form ofadhesive. The permanent bond side of the adhesive layer is attached toone surface of the absorbent layer using a mild application of pressure,forming a high strength bond. The removable bond side of the adhesivelayer is attached to the seating surface of the coaster body using amild application force.

The seating ring is raised above the seating surface. The support ringraises the main body above a flat solid surface and may be insetslightly from the outside edge of the main body, the inset distancefacilitating stacking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—Provides a top perspective view of coaster illustrating how theabsorbent pad [200] fits onto the seating surface [102]. Section A forFIG. 2 is indicated on the drawing.

FIG. 2—Provides a section A from FIG. 1. This drawing provides detailsof the arrangement of key elements included in the coaster design.

FIG. 3—Provides a detailed expanded view of the layered design of theabsorbent pad [200].

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a new and unique coaster particularlyadapted for use with all manner of beverage cans and containers in whichsoft drinks, beer, fruit juices and other like consumable beverages arechilled and served. The coaster is not only uniquely suited to protectclothing and furniture against soiling and damage from the moisture andcondensation usually present on containers of chilled beverages it alsois highly durable yet it is capable of being modified by the user toalter is aesthetic characteristics.

The major components of the coaster are the coaster body [100] and theabsorbent pad [200]. The absorbent pad is durable, highly absorbent yetcan easily be removed and replaced with an equally absorbent pad of thesame design but potentially with different aesthetic designs. Theabsorbent pad will not inadvertently come off of the coaster base. Thisprevents the absorbent pad from moving as the drinking vessel moves onand off the coaster as well as during normal handling by users. Theabsorbent pad will not adhere to drinking vessels because of the natureof the absorbent pad [200] to coaster body [100] interface.

These objectives are achieved through a number of features incorporatedinto the coaster design. First, the absorbent layer [202] is a uniquematerial for coaster design. This material is composed of a materialwhich provides substantial porosity. The porosity is very small scaleand not uniform and results from the interwoven nature of the material.This porosity provides a path for condensate to flow into and be trappedin the absorbent layer [202] until the condensate evaporates. Thisaction keeps the condensate from building up on the bottom and sidesurface of the drinking vessel. The material porosity further preventssurface tension which could cause the drinking vessel to adhere to thecoaster. The material is highly durable, does not easily stain and canlast for an extended period of time. Finally, the material hassufficient strength to accept embroidered designs while retaining itsdurability and absorbent capability. In the preferred embodiment theabsorbent pad [200] is a 100% synthetic interwoven pad approximately 10to 125 mil in thickness.

As noted above, the absorbent pad [200] will not come off of the seatingsurface [102] when the drinking vessel is lifted off the coaster. Thisoccurs because of the porosity noted above which reduces surface tensionbut is also due to the nature of the adhesive layer [201] and the meansby which the layer is integrated into the absorbent pad [200].Specifically, the selection of the bonding strengths as described below.

The adhesive layer [201] is a two sided high strength plastic filmadhesive with a highly adhesive surface [201 a] and a low contactadhesive [201 b] surface on the other side. The highly adhesive surface[201 a] is pressure fit onto one side of the absorbent layer [202]. Theadhesive layer [201] takes on the shape of the surface of the absorbentlayer [202] following the small surface contours. This results in ahighly adhesive bond between the absorbent layer [202] and the adhesivelayer [201]. In the preferred embodiment the adhesive layer is adouble-sided permanent/removable high strength thin plastic filmapproximately 0.5 to 10 mil thickness.

The low contact adhesive surface [201 b] is used to form a bond betweenthe seating surface [102] of the coaster and the absorbent pad [200].The low contact adhesive surface [201 b] is chosen such that it willform a sufficiently strong bond with the seating surface [201] so as toprevent absorbent pad [201] movement during use and cleaning of thecoaster over repeated uses. The adhesive layer [201] has also beenchosen so that the bonding force between the absorbent pad [201] andadhesive layer [201] is much greater than the bonding force between theadhesive layer [201] and the seating surface [201]. This mismatch allowsthe coaster user to remove the absorbent pad intact from the seatingsurface if the pad has become damaged or is to be replaced for aestheticreasons.

The seating ring [103] has been raised a sufficient distance above theseating surface [102] to provide stability to prevent drinking vesselsfrom easily sliding off of the coaster. The seating ring [103] isattached to the main body [104], along the outer edge of the main body[104]. In addition, the top of the seating ring [103] has been raised asufficient distance above the seating surface [102] to prevent anycondensate from flowing through the absorbent pad [201] and off thecoaster.

The support ring [105] allows for a very flat contact area with theobject upon which the coaster is placed. The support ring [105] isattached to the main body [104], slightly inset from the outer edge ofthe main body [104]. The support ring [105] further acts to slightlyelevate the main body [104] off of the surface upon which the coasterrests. Depending on the flatness of the surface upon which the coasteris placed, the support ring [105] will limit free air flow underneaththe main body [104]. These features provide for a stable base andminimize any condensation that can form under the coaster on theunderlying surface.

In another preferred embodiment, an embroidered design [205] is includedthat can be multiple colors and may be designs, drawings, letters etc.The embroidered design [205] is formed by weaving thread into the bodyof the absorbent layer [202]. The selection of the proper materials inthe absorbent pad [200] allows for the design to be woven in withoutdestroying the absorbent layers [202] functionality or shape. In thisinvention, the novel and unexpected affect of the embroidered design[205] is that it provides improved functional capability of the coaster.Specifically, as noted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the embroidered design providesa slightly increased undulation on the top surface shape of theabsorbent pad [201]. This slight undulation acts to further reducesurface tension forces between the coaster and drinking vessel whichtends to completely eliminate cling of the coaster to the underside ofthe drinking vessel.

While the invention has been described in connection with what arepresently understood to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to thedisclosed embodiments, but rather to cover various modifications andequivalent arrangements which are included within the spirit and scopeof the following claims.

1. A coaster comprising, a. main body with a top surface, a bottomsurface and an outer edge, b. and an absorbent layer with a top surfaceand bottom surface, c. and an adhesive layer with a top surface andbottom surface, where the bottom surface of said absorbent layer isaffixed to the top surface of said adhesive layer, where the bottomsurface of said adhesive layer is affixed to the top surface of saidmain body, where said top surface of said adhesive layer has a strongeradhesive bond with said bottom surface of said absorbent layer ascompared to the adhesive bond between said bottom surface of saidadhesive layer and said top surface of said main body, where thisdifference in bonds allows for removal of said absorbent layer from saidmain body with said adhesive layer remaining attached to said absorbentlayer, d. where said absorbent layer is a synthetic felt.
 2. A coastercomprising, a. main body with a top surface, a bottom surface and anouter edge, b. and an absorbent layer with a top surface and bottomsurface, c. and an adhesive layer with a top surface and bottom surface,where the bottom surface of said absorbent layer is affixed to the topsurface of said adhesive layer, where the bottom surface of saidadhesive layer is affixed to the top surface of said main body, wheresaid top surface of said adhesive layer has a stronger adhesive bondwith said bottom surface of said absorbent layer as compared to theadhesive bond between said bottom surface of said adhesive layer andsaid top surface of said main body, where this difference in bondsallows for removal of said absorbent layer from said main body with saidadhesive layer remaining attached to said absorbent layer, where saidabsorbent layer is a synthetic felt d. and a seating ring where saidseating ring is attached to the top surface of said main body, where thepoint of attachment is along said outer edge of said main body, e. and asupport ring where said support ring is attached to the bottom surfaceof said main body, where the point of attachment is very near the outeredge of said main body. 3-4. (canceled)
 5. The coaster of claim 1,further comprising an embroidered pattern, said embroidered patterncomprised of thread, which is woven into said absorbent layer so thatsaid embroidered pattern is slightly raised above said top surface ofsaid absorbent layer. 6-7. (canceled)
 8. The coaster of claim 2, furthercomprising an embroidered pattern, said embroidered pattern comprised ofthread, which is woven into said absorbent layer so that saidembroidered pattern is slightly raised above said top surface of saidabsorbent layer.